Thursday, November 09, 2006

Thick, light-green succulent leaves characterize the Aloe Vera plant. The Aloe plant is one of the easiest houseplants to care for. The Aloe Vera is a great plant to have around. When the leaves are broken open a gel is released that works wonders on sunburns, cuts and even bug bites.

The Aloe Vera's care needs are just that of a cactus. It thrives in bright light so keep it within 5 feet of a east or west facing window. This houseplant also just like the cactus tolerates very infrequent waterings. You will only need to water this plant once every 2 weeks. I have even gone three weeks without any problems.

This houseplant can grow very big, very fast. If the plant begins to outgrow its pot, like it probably will, you may simply transplant sections and place it in another pot with dirt. I have done this multiple times. The plant also does not appear to be very picky about its soil type either. My biggest aloe (pictured) is growing in plain dirt from the yard. As you can see with my aloe pictured, these plants can spread very quickly. Mine needs some serious downsizing.

Aloe Vera plants are very easy to care for. They withstand quite a bit in my opinions. Please take a minute and view my list of easy to grow houseplants for other plants that are great for the busy person.

The sap of Aloe plants works great for sunburns and as treatment for other topical problems. However, from what I have found, certain varieties are poisonous if eaten, thus I have it listed on my poisonous houseplants list. So just to be safe, please keep these plants up and away from your pets and children.

215 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, love the site, but I've got a question. My aloe plant is small, on a window seal, indoors, and we keep our house at 68 degrees F at night, 74 degrees F in the day. My plants bud is growing into a stalk looking thing and the leaves are sticking straight out. And the leaves on the main plant look like their trying to grow into a stalk, with leaves trying to dig into the soil. What's happening?

hello, I acidentally dropped a baseball bat on my aloe vera and cracked one of the leaves. I don't know what to do! Is the leaf done for? The leaf is still attached together, but yellow sap immediately oozed out. I wiped away the "blood" and put clear tape on the wound to keep the parts together. Will the aloe vera leaf heal? Or should I remove the broken part and not let it rot? Or is the entire leaf done for?

Yes, Aloe is safe to use on sunburns and topical uses, however there are varieties that are poisonous when digested as far as I've found. If you have quality sources that state differently, please let me know and I will gladly revise the page.

I've noticed that if you get water on the lower leaves, they usually get brown right where they attach to the main plant and eventually fall off. Is there someway to store the aloe from inside the leaf?

Have you ever seen an Aloe Vera bloom? I have a pretty old Aloe Vera, like you, several from the same family, this is the parent and is very crowded in it's pot. It has run up a slender shoot that is probably 18" long with some bud-like projections at the top, nothing remotely flower-like. I have never seen it do this before. Thanks

The leaves on my aloe plant are quite droopy. Most of them are probably a foot long. There are many babies in the pot with the big plant. I know it probably needs repotting and I plan to do that. Why are the leaves/ spikes drooping?

i 've had this aloe for thee yrs is about the same size.and when i put it outside it turns transparent and looks like its going to die so i bring it back in and what can i fertilize it with to help it grow?thanks don

I got my Aloe's from my aunts garden in Tucson, Az. Every summer I put them outside and the leaves turn a nice light rosy brown. When I bring them back in in the fall they return to green. I have waited to bring them in until later in the fall when the night temperatures have been in the upper 30's (I live in Minnesota) and they have been just fine. They all flower once every year with a long stem that has small orange trumpet shaped flowers on it. I have not watered in the winter for up to two months and they do fine. If the leaves start to shrivel they need water. They will come back just fine. They like being crowded, that's the way they grow outside. They don't mind being overcrowded. Each plant will just grow taller (into a stalk) and the "babies" will find their way up between the established plants. Any of the "babies" can be repotted at any time. I've even had "babies" grow out of the overcrowded established plant. This is, by far, the easiest plant, along with Mother-in-laws tongue (Snake plant), I have ever had, to care for.

Hello everyone,I want to share some of my lifetime experiences with Aloe Vera; I grew up in a tropical Country where it grows wild. Notice that there are about 400 varieties of Aloe, and "Vera" is the one I'm going to refer to. Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera and you will see on the right how it looks like; in the US you can find it at the grocery stores everywhere and I call it 'the miracle plant'. We ingest it as a body cleanser, use it for burns, wounds (small and big), mild infections, bug bites, as suppositories for hemorrhoids and minor vaginal infections (a great way to have it available when needed is by peeling the Aloe Vera carefully with a sharp knife, cutting long strings lengthwise, wrapping them individually with aluminum foil and freezing them in a sealed plastic bag, so when you need some, just brake a piece); Aloe Vera is a great for cuts and burns and when its flesh is applied directly on the wound and then covered with a gauze, it regenerates the skin and you don't get scars! Aloe Vera loves sunlight; humidity and cold weather are its worst enemies; I live in GA, so I keep it indoors close to a sunny window during winter and either keep it there all year long or take it out for Summer time. I bring it in when it rains a lot, because it will rot in no time.When I accidentally bump into a leaf and it starts to get saggy or looks ugly, I simply cut it from the base with a sharp knife and proceed to peel it for future use.

Hello I live in Pa and I'm not to good with plants but I am trying..I thought you can cut the stem of Aloe's and replant them I did but I don't think they are doing so good.The main plant looks healthy just a little weird. I replanted the pups too but they don't seem to be doing good. Are you suppossed to just put them in the same pot as the mother plant? I'm clueless.

I have an inportant Question.How do I store and keep leaves from drying up? I was giving lots of the leaves to treat area's where I receive radiation. I have cancer.I'm allowed to use the leaves. To treat the area after, and i was giving lots, I don't want them to dry out before use.

My aloe pot just fell off a window sill - and when i tried to replant it, I noticed that it has very flimsy roots. I have the plant in the pot again, but I am wondering what I should do to hopefully keep it alive.

I'm sorry to hear of your cancer. I don't know how to store the leaves so they don't dry up after clipped from the plant. I would suggest asking the person giving you the leaves if you could have the plant. That way you can cut the leaves as you need them.

Aloe plants are pretty strong. If you repotted and are maintaining your normal water schedule, it should spring back. You could give it a little dose of houseplant food for an extra boost if you'd like.

Right now I am wrapping my used aloe in saran wrap to try to keep it fresh, but only take off one leaf at a time to use every four days..maybe wrapping them and storing them in the fridge can help them keep their moisture.

Is it best to cut leaves from the bottom because they are old and will die soon? Or rather, is it better to cut newer leaves near the top to promote more "bushieness" while leaving the bottom leaves alone to live a long time and strengthen the stalk of the plant to prevent sagging? Or do they like having long leafless stalks?

When I take a cutting I cut off the spikes and "peel" the flat side. I will wrap it in ceran wrap and put it in the fridge and it will stay moist for a while. I've also put some in water and it stayed full & moist for a long time!

I took my plant from its mother 32 years ago.I am afraid I abused it by not looking after it, watered it very occasionally and for some years it lay outside not even a pot. It has moved house with me seven times.It has suffered from frost, snow etc and at last I have brought it inside in a clay pot with sandy soil. It lives on a window sill now, overlooking the sea facing south-east and at last is growing well and looking very healthy. What a hardy plant.

I have cut a number of the lower leaves and now I have a rather long "stalk." The whole stalk is bending over causing a very one-sided plant that is about to fall out of the pot. I have it propped up. Is there any way to shorten the stalk and get the newer leaves closer to the pot again?Thanks for your help. No green thumb here - just burned ones, hence the plant.LLS

I live in an apartment in Chicago. We don't get much sun at all during the winter, and I have an aloe plant that I want to keep alive. I bought an Ott-lite that is supposed to be full-spectrum, but I am wondering if you have any advice on how long I should keep it on the plant and how far away I should keep the light. Thanks for your blog!

I just received two aloe vera plants as a gift and I think they're fantastic plants.

You are also right to caution people about the potential poisonous nature of the plant. The yellowish sap inside the plant is indeed a very potent laxative, even used as an ingredient in some commercial products. So be careful if you choose to ingest it.

However, if you drain the sap from the leaf, the internal gel is very vitamin dense, contains 19 of the 22 amino acids including the 8 essentials, and of course has excellent anti-bacterial/viral/fungal properties. But before you decide to eat the gel (not suggested, I prefer smoothies as it is very bitter and is better covered by bananas or other such flavors), do your homework and make sure you're using the right plant and know how to properly prepare it. Most people would probably be better off buying the aloe gel flakes and using that as a supplement.

However, for the more adventurous and those willing to put in the time to learn properly how to prepare their own gel, there is an excellent tutorial at http://www.naturalnews.com/PhotoTour_Aloe_Vera_1.html (I am in no way associated with the website other than as an occasional reader). I hope that helps. Like I said though, be absolutely sure you know what you're doing and putting into your body. You become what you eat, after all.

I have an indoor aloe vera plant that seems to be sick. It was big beautiful and healthy and then was left outside in extremely cold weather for a week before I realized it. Most of the stalks turned black. cut off the black part and left the green healthy part. It looked ok for a couple of days then the healthy parts began to turn black as well...now I have a sick little plants with 4 yucky stalks and there is no new growth in the middle...Have I killed another "easy to grow" house plant??

Hello, I have, correction had, a very beautiful aloe vera plant. I was about 2 feet tall and was very healthy. Recently, it was left outside for about a week during cold weather (32-45 degrees). Most all of the stalkes turned black and were very watery inside. I cut them back. Some of the healthier stalks still had black at the top so I cut that away as well leaving the healthy part. It has since struggled and there is no new growth in the center. Have I killed yet another almost unkillable plan?? KT

I got an Aloe Vera plant at an estate sale. It is enormous (spans almost 3 feet)and looks to be in need of serious transplant. I am afraid to try to split these two up and put them into seperate containers. How do I get them apart? Should I use a knife? Should I try to break them apart? What size planter should I use? If I try to keep them together, I would need a pot the size of a coffee table that holds upwards of 500 lbs of dirt. The stalks which are gnarly are very long, how much of the stalk should I bury, will it rot if I bury it under the dirt? I have pictures. Please help me, Id hate to see this old beautiful plant die.

Hey my aloe plant has been re potted a lot and some leaves turned brown about halfway up. is it better to remove the whole leaf or just cut off the bad part and leave the half leaf, which looks healthy, stay on the plant? thanks!

my hands get really dry from work and when i use a piece of my aloe i put it in a zip lock baggy and keep it in my fridge. the gel stays fresh, and the cold feels great on dry skin. But i have a question, i noticed one of my lower leaves were going brown at the base where it meets the main plant and when i touched it, the Whole plant, every limb, fell apart. completly. i plan to repot and hopefully start over, but why did this happen?

Hi, i have an 2 feet tall aloe vera plant, but it looks quiet unstable. I just replanted it into a bigger and deeper pot, but my question is if i could cut the root a little bit shorter, because it is very unstable or should i replant into a deeper pot?Thanks, ESz.

I have cut a number of the lower leaves and now I have a rather long "stalk." The whole stalk is bending over causing a very one-sided plant that is about to fall out of the pot. I have it propped up. Is there any way to shorten the stalk and get the newer leaves closer to the pot again?thank u john

i have a mini aloe vera plant and the soil was dry when i got it and in two days time the plant looked brown and dull when i watered it immediately the next day it looked healthier however im still worried about it the soil they put it in (from home depot) seems to dry out quickly it is just slightly moisturized just a day later what should i do i dont want to over water it i kind of want to change the soil to whats in my backyard how long should i wait before doing that?

Thanks for all the info. I need to fix my tall aloe plant as I have used the bottom leaves so much that I'm getting a tall stalk.The best thing about an aloe plant is all the great uses. In addition to using it for burns, cuts, scrapes you can use it for warts. After a visit to the dermatologist (where they got a bit carried away with the chemical crap they burn your warts off with) and my 5 yr old son ended up with a huge sore behind and on his ear trying to get rid of a small wart I purchased some expensive aloe cream which worked but when I ran out and he had another wart on his forehead and one on his neck I decided to use the aloe juice from my plant. The warts dissolved faster than the cream and faster and way cheaper than the dr. And best of all no pain. Just cut off a leaf (or part of one) and rub it on the wart every day. The wart will start to look like it's blistering up before it goes away.My view...an ugly aloe plant has done it's job!

Another note. My aloe bloomed once (I've had it for about 8 yrs) and it was a beautiful, unique flower that lasted quite a while. The only bad thing about it was that it dripped some goo from the flower, weird, so if yours starts to bloom you might want to put a cloth under it to catch the goo.

Hey, love the site! I recently bought a little aloe plant, only maybe five inches tall so far, but the tips of the leaves have been turning brown and drying up. I've tried watering it more, and watering it less, but it doesn't really seem to help. Any ideas? Thanks!

Recently I had to use my aloe vera plant for a burn on my finger. I cut the tip of one of the leaves off to use on my finger and now it is a little bit on the brown side where I made the cut. In the future, should I cut down near the bottom of the leaf and should I cut this one off down near the bottom as well?

i just got an aloe plant and it is really helping me with my eczema and i just replanted it with the soil from my front yard and i love it. its leaves are heavy and it makes my living room look great...

I feel kind of bad, my poor Aloe Vera plant has taken a recent beating from my cat nuzzling it lately, and it seems as if the entire stalk is snapped on one place, as it keeps leaning to one side. Curious, is there any way to save it? Or will it re-sprout on its own?

I LOVE these plants but I need help! On my plant the leaves are flat and seem to not have much to them but they are still green..?What can I do to help this plant Bulk up...usually the leaves are thick and round and full of goodness....(Some of my leaves are but most are flat) Can you help me?

My mother-in-law gave me an aloe vera plant and I have had it for about 2-3 months now. It is sitting right underneath an east facing window and I have only watered it about 3 times. Now its leaves are flimsy, not firm. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong and what I should be doing for it?Thanks

Help!I was given a small (about 4-5 inches) aloe. I had it inside but I noticed there were a lot of gnats around it so I moved it outside on Monday it is Thursday and now all of the leaves are brown. I don't know what to do. I watered it on Monday but it also rained that day too. I moved it to a more shaded area thinking that maybe it got too much sun. I live in TX but it the high this week has only been around 95. Please help.

I just bought an aloe plant yesterday. I've always wanted one since my great grandma had one, and I know they required less water, and as a college student, I figured I couldn't possibly kill this plant! However, I live in an apartment that stays moderately cool because it gets like no direct sunlight. There's one window on the East, But there are trees around, so it still doesn't beam in. It stays well lit with natural light bouncing off the structures around, but will that be enough, or will I have to give it to a new home?

Perhaps this question has already been answered but I have very bad luck with houseplants having already killed one aloe vera. my parents bought me another one for easter which i thought was doing okay but now one of the leaves is turning purple at the base and is loose. does this mean it's getting too much water, too little water or something else altogether? any help would be appreciated. i love having plants more than anything i just can't seem to keep them alive...

i noticed the long white stalk that is coming out of the mother with nice growth on your plant, mine is doing the same, do i need to repot that new bunch that is hanging out of my pot? is it getting h20 or is that white stalk dead and do i need to reroot it and replant it?

I have an Aloe vera for a while in my living room (it is the same species as your picture, but not as green a yours), and as the weather is worm and super shiny, I decided to put it on my balcony right under the sun (it's the first time I do that) And to my surprise, the leaves turned grey the first days and now yellow.The Aloe doesn't look to be suffering, or dry, it look rather healthy. the parts of the leaves that stayed in the shadow are still green.Did I do something wrong ? will it turn green again ??thanks for your blog

Hi everyone, I'm new at this. googled care for aloe plant and found you guys! I'm psyched! Here is my delema, I have this aloe plant I've had for about 4 years It was just two little plants in the same pot I bought it at Walgreens. I have just kept repotting the entire plant into a slightly bigger pot and putting it in the basement on a table in the winter and watering it once a week or two. Then bring it outside on a covered porch in the spring. Well its taking over my house I can no longer even move it! It's 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide. I need to start separating it but I'm afraid I'll kill it. It seems like its all connected with out alot of roots. It breaks easy. Any suggestions?

Hi, I just got an aloe plant and have it in a pot in my kitchen on a wooden table next to my stove. I have had it a little over a month and it seemed really healthy until about a week ago I noticed the leaves are curling at the ends and are becoming soft. I don't know much about aloe... what could it be?

I have a very old aloe plant that is a baby of my great grandmother's plant, that my mother now has. I have had this plant about a year now and it keeps uprooting itself. I have staked the plant trying to make it stronger, I have moved it in to a different room to see if lighting was an issue but nothing seems to help. I don't want the plant to eventually die but I don't know what to do for it. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them. Thank you

i recei hv recently bought n aloe vera plant and ive notice that i hve alot of flying bugs like knats, are the coming from or for the aloe?? is the onl explanation, i hav no fruit out and house is clean,,, du u think its because the catus i sweet??? anyone out there ever expirience this???? how do i ge rid of the knats???

I CAN'T keep a house plant alive. I had a beautiful aloe plant on my deck all summer, did great since I did nothing to it...mother nature took care of it for me. Now that it's inside, the tips of the leaves are turning yellow and brown...any tips?

Hey, I love your info! I have an aloe plant, have had it for many years, and we just recently moved from Alabama to Wisconsin. The move was in December, a few days before Christmas and the aloe plant was the only one of our many plants to surive the trip. Now, although it survived, it has been looking sickly ever since we moved here. It's 'wilted' and some of the 'leaves' have been falling off. Do you have any ideas what we could do to save this plant?

I have a little aloe, and I try not to water too much. I usually let it get dry before I water again. My question is: Why are the leaves filling up with liquid and then drooping over until it is dead? My plant is just about done for...

I seem to have a very thirsty aloe plant. At first, when I received it as a gift, I tried to water it only once every two weeks. I thought it wouldn't need much water. It got droopy, seemed to stop growing and looked sad. I have it in a terra cotta pot. I decided it looked thirsty, so against all the information I had gathered, I started watering it as much as I water my palms. My aloe has thrived every since I started giving it more water. It does love direct sunlight and it has grown and become a sturdy large plant with watering more frequently. I don't know if this info will help anyone else, just thought I would share. :0)

Hey, I just bought a 8 or 9 inch Aloe Vera yesterday. The pot seems too small for the plant which is currently cracking the top of the pot. If I replant it, does it matter what kind of soil I use? Also, it's really cold in the area I'm living in, and it's snowed every day. We aren't getting much sun. Will the temperature and lack of sun kill the Aloe Vera?

i have been eating 4 tablespoons of my aloe vera plant for the last year.. it supports colon health, loaded with vitamins, actually gets rid of my heartburn, promotes white blood cell production.. i could go on forever.... What exactly is poison about it?

While the gel in the middle of the stalk is very soothing, and a helpful burn remedy to have around, the inner layer of the plant's "skin" is an irritant. Luckily, when the stalk is just broken off and rubbed on the skin, this toxin rarely comes in contact with it's user. Basically, you just don't wanna have your aloe plant for dinner... :) Might get quite an itch in your throat. lol

I have two aloe plants (one taller but less wide and one more spread out neither particularly big) I've been reading the comments and I think they may have gotten to cold but I wanted to ask myself. I had them on a window sill (east facing) I moved them there a week ago so they would get more sun. I was gone this weekend and I come home and the spread out one is a weird yellow gray color and the taller one, while the biggest leaves look fine, has a few yellowing smaller stems. I think the first night I was gone the temperature might have gone down in to the 40s. I am not sure though. I thought it was going to be plenty warm. I have moved them out of that window back to the old one. Should I pick off the worst stems?

i have a beautiful aloe plant i got at a plant expo 4 years ago and it never turned into a rosette shape. its getting a lot of light and it flowered i am confused about the non rosetre shape.what can i do

Hi, i use to have my Aloe Vera plant directly in the sun. I moved the plant to a low light area. After a few weeks, the plant almost became flat. I moved it back. Now, it's getting a lot of sun. However, the plant stalks are still flat. What can i do to make the plant perk up or become plump again? I stopped watering it weekly and am now watering it once or twice a month.

Last year I planted 4 aloes in a rectangular planter, Now there are too many for the planter. They are in a south facing window which gets a lot of light and sunlight. When there is not much sunlight I put them in between the net curtain and the window, When there is a lot of bright hot sun I find that they burn on the leaves so I put the net curtain between the glass and the plants. They produce so many shoots, each of which grows rapidly into new plants when detached from the parent plant that I have difficulty finding homes for all of them so throw many away. Eve

my grandfather just gave me an aloe he was growing in just water (weird, but it was really happy).Now I have it in soil in a window that gets plenty of indirect sunlight and it is dying. the leaves are flat, brownish/yellow, and don't stand up. I thought I was overwatering so I took it out of the soil and let it dry and haven't watered it since, but it gets worse every day. Help!!

hi...i have 2 very small alovera about 3 years old,they have been misstreated by previouse owner...i have them in a west window sil...but the leaves are still a orangy colour...the small centeral ones are still a little green but they both lok quite sick...any sugestions how to revive them...do they need bigger pots?better possition...they get good amount of sun

I have also broken my fair share of my favorite houseplants, with my aloe I freeze it so it doesn't go to waste. Wrap in paper towel, put in bag. Then when I need some I break off a piece and thaw it out.

My aloe plant looks healthy, but when I cut into one of the leaves the other day to use for a cut, I found that the sap was yellow and it stank - BAD. Has my plant gone bad? Is there anything I can to to reverse this?

My aloe plant is at least 5-6 years old and the tallest leaf about 16", with many smaller plants around it. It has thrived and "was" beautiful. It has always been in indoor plant. It appeared to need soil which I added & set it out on my deck recently for about 4-5 days in harsh afternoon sunlight, not knowing the sun would damage it. When I checked on it, the leaves had turned a pale greenish brown. It has essentially cared for itself all these years & now I don't know what to do to help it return to good health.

1 I love your sight. It is wonderful and maybe my brown thumb will turn a bit more green with it's help.2 my aloe also turns kinda transparent when I place the pots outside and get better when I bring them back inside. But they really are not growing all that much. One has spawned a little one and the other is going off to one side. But with your advise I have now planted them in a pot with better drainage so maybe that will help them. But why is it that they get transparent when I place them outside. I am in north east Arkansas and yes we are having a lot of rain so I have now placed them back in the house to avoid over watering. Has this made any since I think I lost my question in there some where. Help please.

My Aloe plant, bought as a baby, is over 10 yr old & 1.4 ft tall. Winter it sits inside below east window, summer outside under covered porch getting west sun. It has only been repotted about 5 times when it gets too big for it's pot. This yr I put it in full sun where it received too much rain. Leaves turned pale. It was repotted to remove 10 babies & moved back under porch cover. New leaves are pretty green & it is getting it's first bloom. Neighbor said "Never place in full sun & never water too much" Hers is about 4 ft tall & gets watered once month or 2. Type of pot matters.

HiI found the site very useful, but I still have a problem. My aloe vera plant is only a baby. I have had it for six months, and it is three inches tall. The leaves are growing, as are the spikes, but very slowly. The tips become dry, and then the rest of the leaf goes the same way. What should I do? There's a new baby leaf growing, so it shouldn't be in much daner.

I still haven't been able to find out how to water my aloe plant, from the bottom or the top????everyone seems to have a different opinion.Love your information though. Can I get apicture of the aloe that is not poisonous.Thanks, honey 9

HI, I just wanted to add that when the bottom of my aloe plant leaves turn brown and mushy it is because I have overwatered. Death is not far behind.

I also wanted to add that when I cut or break leaves off my aloe plant that they can be stored in plastic wrap in the fridge for quite some time. The cold gel is great on sunburns.

A question I have is that the tips are drying up and turning brown on my plant. I keep it in the bathroom about 4 feet from an east facing (shaded) window. Also, would the damp air from taking showers be too frequent for the plants health?

Hi. I'm new to keeping aloe Vera. I've only had my very first one about 3 weeks. It sits on a South-facing window. Because the weather has turned really hot it's on the outside ledge. Day-time temps are now getting up to 40C. Night-time as low as 12C.The colour seems to be leaching out of the Vera. It's now more of a gray colour rather than the bright green when I got it. Could this be because it's in direct sun, to hot, or what?Thanks for any advice. I'd hate to loose it due to ignoranceJannie

my lovely cat knocked my aloe over and I noticed that it had very little root to it should I place it in a cup of water and place it in the window as my friend has told me or just re pot it? First time aloe grower needs to know.

This is my second attempt trying to take care of Aloe and I don't understand why it lost color and does not look nearly as good as its parent. I was given the babies from a healthy plant, and for 3 months it was doing well...in front of a window with low light. We are in the midst of heat wave (90-100F) with little rain in sight so I brought the plant out for some sun. In just 2 days all four plants about 3-4 inches in size became yellow and soft....so I brought them back inside and watered the dry soil. Did I shock the plant? I'm not sure why putting the plant in its "ideal" environment, sun and heat would cause it to yellow out? Any ideas?

I have an aloe vera plant that has developed black spots all over the leaves. I have had aloe plants for many years and have never seen this. Please help.It is a very large plant and I hate to throw it out. I have many smaller ones from it and so far they do not have this problem.What" happened to my plant?

Hi. I just got a little aloe plant, or three living in on pot. Anyways, I got it because during a move it fell on the ground. As a result of that, the leaves got twisted and folded, and now there are creases in it. I've made some braces for each little "leaf" out of kabob sticks and yarn. Will this help it? Will the leaves come back to normal? Should I just snip them? I have about 7 injured ones. It would be very sad to snip them all. Does anyone know what I should do? I love my little aloe plant.

I got my first aloe Vera plant off my mam a couple of months ago. I only water it every 2-3 weeks but still a lot of the stalks are going brown. Its not a large plant but is wide. Might it need a larger pot?

Its a great plant for kids. My 7 & 12 year old both have used it for injuries over the past 4 years. The younger one loves to help take care of the various plants we have around the house and it has proved very difficult for her to "hurt" it. Terrific plant to give as a gift or to have in the classroom.

hi,i have an aloe vera plant that got pecked on by my bird and now theres beak marks on the plant. i left it on for a while and it hasnt healed properly and is still very small and damaged. should i just cut the damaged parts off to let the new leaves grow? its so small and not growing a budge, it is still alive and green. will it grow back noramally? help?!

hi.. great site and very helpful. I have a mini aloe vera plant which i have planted in a pot without wholes at the bottom (don't really know why!) and i water it occasionally. my question is how much water does the plant need?

also, i've noticed some white stuff in the soil surrounding the plant (it looks like fungus to me!). do you think that's because of the water in the pot not drying up?

one last question. in the pot there are two mini plants (kind of like a mother and a baby!). one of them is quite stable but the other one is about to come out the soil if you pull it a bit. is there anything i can do?

I don't know too much mysef, but I would just leave it alone, my little plant had babies, and I had to end up putting the babies (as they got larger) into their own pots. It sounds to me as if your plant is doing ok, but I would by replanting put them in pots with holes!

hello, i have read sooo many questios and answers, on ho to care for my aloe vera, but i still dont know how much is too much water. my 2 plants are very small and have h ad them for aprox. a yr. tx. anne

My aloe plant seems to have a problem with scales. I keep scratching them off, but more keep coming, and I don't even know how the plant got them in the first place! Can any one let me know how I can get rid of the scales once and for all?

I have too many aloe vera plants. I have 1 huge one that started off quite small-$2.99. Now it is blooming. Babies sprouting up like crazy. I keep buying more pots but I am running out of room and can't bring myself to toss them out. Easy to transplant- just reach down where the babies are and carefully discconnect the roots and pot. Add more soil to the mother plant where you removed the babies.They love heat but not direct sunlight. Don't overwater! They can take care of themselves. Don't let them be in temps under 60 degrees. If a stem dies take if off when the plant is ready to drop it. It will remove easily when it is ready.

ive had the same aloe plants for 8 yrs i raised them from tiny babies the are now huge the bottom leafs are about 2.5 feet long 1/2 thick and 5 inches wide at the base. and stands 3 feet tall i started them out in pots they werent growing that well so i transplanted into the grown they took off and grow big mine have been transplanted every year (basically everytime i moved) they are now in pots again they r still growing good i use miracle grow potting soil they seem to grow better and bigger in this soil i water them once every few months or when the soil is dry. and they grow better in indirect sunlight basically shaded from the suns raise thats what turns them brown as long as they are in a shaded area they stay green. if a leaf breaks off just let it be 9x out of 10 it seals it self at the break and sometime the own leaf dies but thats ok more grows in it spots. it took 6 yrs before mine started blooming the flowers the 1st time they was yellow tiny flower blooms and yes they opened up. this past yrs 2010 them bloomed 2x they was purple flowers they opened but they are very tiny so unless u know what ur looking at then u wont see the flowers open up the flower of the aloe attracted humming birds its a beautiful sight to see any question feel free to ask and if i can help i will let you know (knightstorm696@aol.com)

First and foremost I would like to thank for posting this nice article about Caring an aloe vera plant, I’m a novice at this kind of field and planning to increase my knowledge about it. I’m so glad that I’ve stumbled upon this post really helped me a lot,Thanks again.

HiI was given an Aloe Vera plant by my neighbour about 2 weeks ago. Never had an aloe before this. It didn't look very good, all the leaves were quite soft and light brown colour with dry tips. Lower leaves are shrivelled and hardly there anymore, it has a long stalk growing horizontally to the plant. I thought maybe it had been over watered or left outside in the cold (I live in the uk). I potted it up into a cactus compost mix with perlite and orchid bark in for drainage, and a layer of gravel at the bottom of the pot. However- cos of the funny shaped root it was difficult to fit it centrally in the pot and I accidentally snapped the stem a little bit when adjusting it!! It was well above the root line but still under the soil level. It didn't snap all way through, it was still attached, but I heard a kind of snap and the stem was kind of bendy at that point, I think it snapped inside. Will it be ok? I watered it with a cactus and succulent fertiliser solution, hoping it can still take up nutrients despite it's stem! If anyone can tell me if it will survive this or not or how I can save it, I'd be very grateful! Really don't want it to die!Thanks!

Hello,I've had my aloe for years now, and she's getting quite big:) I don't use her for medicinal purposes though, simply because I've seen many plants get HUGE..(2 feet or so tall and just as wide)..so this is what I'm hoping to achieve. Contrary to what most people do, I water mine once a week or so, and she's large enough that I use a standard 500ml for each watering and she flourishes, just sittin on a table in the window. She's quite succulent and beautiful :) My only tip for people looking to grow a LARGE aloe (mine is just over a foor and a half tall, and maybe a bit wider than that to the end of each "tentacle") is to take out her babies as soon s they are 4 inches tall. When she has babies, immediatly repot..she'll grow, and sprout new "tentacles" rather than offshoot her young. Also..if you leave her babies with her too long, they'll eventually strangle out the mother plant and dominate the pot.Has anyone found any fertilizer for optimum growth? Also, I'm thinking that for her next repotting I'll look for a wide, but cylindrical pot to support her main section, as she's getting pretty top heavy.Happy growing everyone! :)

Hello,I have inhertited a large and over grown Aloe. It looks very similar to the one posted. Can I cut the larger offshoot (has about a 1 inch "trunk") and root?? How best to do that?Thanks for the advice..

I have an old aloe that hasn't been repotted in YEARS. It has a huge extension growing from the main stem. All looks healthy. But do I just cut this new stem/trunck ( about as thich as a mans thumb) and put it in soil to grow? I'ld hate to kill it

i have an aloe pland that has gotten very tall and also the spears that come out on the sides are about a foot long..they are very very heavy spears and are about an inch wide and half an inch thick from the base of the spear about to the middle. my dogs were playing an knocked my plant off of the table when it fell it broke all but 3 of these huge spears off. so im left with the middle shaft and 3 spears on my plant. is my plant going to die and if not will the spears grow back?

I'm going to get an aloe plant,but the bad thing is that I live in the uk,which does now get a lot of sun.so,should I get one or not? I'm a first time owner and I dont want my aloe to die.if you could give me some answers I would be grateful!

Hi. I have a couple of aloe plants. When summer weather began in earnest my family started to keep the windowshades closed in order to keep the house cool, but that meant my aloe plants were no longer getting direct sunlight. I moved their pots out to the vestibule, thinking it would be like a greenhouse for them, but they're not doing too well out there either. Where would be the best place for me to put my plants?

I live in the Middle East and I always have different varieties of Aloe Vera plants. They are the strongest houseplants ever. When I move them to bigger pots I always remove the soil completely from the roots to separate the mother from the babies and reduce the roots a bit by cutting them to make them comfortable in the new pots. Once the plant is mature it starts flowering. Just one flower shoot each, one time a year. I advise everyone that once a leaf is broken in the middle to just cut off the full leaf from the bottom because it starts dying anyway, which makes your plant ugly until it drys completely, which takes a long time.

i have a aloe vera plant that has many new plants coming off it.i'm so worried about killing it i'm looking for HELP!!! i've become very fond of this plant as i've had it from a very sickly looking bud thank you xx

If you don't take and replant the new ones, I think eventually it will die. I took the new plants from mine, and at first I thought I had killed them all, but now they are better than ever. You have to do it carefully though, so as not to break the roots. Good luck

My friends father has been eating aloe for over a year now. When i say aloe i don't mean just the jelly. Every morning he wakes up, cuts off a stalk of aloe, trims off the spines and then chows downs. It is true that eating this way can cause diarrhea. However, from what i have researched and been told your body becomes accustomed to the plant and eventually you no longer have the side effect. My friends father is 50+ years old and over a year ago was very unhealthy. Today, he looks younger and has the same energy as his son who is in his middle 20's. As soon as my aloe plant starts flourishing more and i have a good supply of plant, I will be having an aloe leaf for breakfast myself.

hi, my friend got me an aloe vera 6 months ago i was putting it in my room where approximately no sun and i did a wrong thing that i put too much water i didnt know that i shouldnt, i took it to a special place that they take care of plants and they put it for me in a bigger pot and told me not to water it too much only 1 time a week and to put it outside, i did but i found out that its not green anymore its becoming brown or yellow somehow and very very soft, its summer now and the weather can be like 40 degree, i dono what to do should i put it back in? when to water it? how should i know that its not dieing? ill be thankful if u can help me

Hey, this is a great article and very helpful, but I have a question. I just received an aloe plant from a friend and had to repot it because the pot was to small; however, now the leaves are drooping very much, and it worried me, so I tied certain leaves to dowels to keep them straight up. Should I untie them and let them droop?

I just got about 8 small aloe plants from my mom. She kept them on her window sill and they did well. I put them outside two days ago and watered them and now the leaves are a light brown at the base. Should I bring them back in or did I water them too much?

I mentioned this earlier this year, but comments I'm receiving are not seeing it. I'm honored that my blog has gotten so popular, however I am having an extremely hard time answering all the comments. I will try my best to answer, but will not be able to get to everyone. I am a mother of two children under the age of 6 and work full time. I apologize for not being able to answer everyone. I truly wish I could. I am still here, and I do publish all the comments.

Thank you for reading and I enjoy all of you who love plants as much as I do. I just wish I could help more people out!

I believe that your aloe plant is trying to root. When the leave start to grow into the soil, if you let it continue the next thing you know it will have roots on the bottom. You can cut it loose from the plant and repot it and have another plant. Some aloe plants shot out and make baby plants like that. Some aloe plants don't do this, I've only seen one that did this. I bought an aloe plant at a yard sale along time ago. It was in a really small pot so I repotted it in a medium size pot so there was a little soil between the plant and pot and mine started doing the same thing. I wound up with so many plants that I couldn't take care of them all. I gave a couple to my mother-in-law and my mom. I wish that I had one now that I have kids, they are always getting hurt or cut. lol. Hope this helps.

Hi,I bought my aloe vera plant at a garage sale. It was doing well for a while, but then as the leaves grew longer, it weighed down the plant, causing the middle part of the plant to uproot itself, causing the plant to wilt. I repotted the plant into a slightly bigger pot, and added more soil. After a couple of days the plant was doing the same the thing again. It was hovering above the soil, and the leaves were starting to turn brownish and weak, starting from the inner part of the plant. So, I buried the middle part of the plant with soil to keep it in the soil. The leaves continued to become more brownish and weak from the middle. I realize now that I have been watering it too much, and my home does not allow for much sunlight, but is there anything else I can do at this point? I'm afraid it's going to die! :'(Hope you can help.Thanks.

I haven't read all the comments, but I see a few people are interested in storing cut leaves. I was told that you can freeze them, I just put a few in yesterday, so I will let you know how that goes.

But now I have a question. I didn't think my plant was getting enough light so I placed the pot out early in the day when it was warm, but I forgot and when I got home it was cold and now my leaves look thinner and the pot is very cold. Is there anything I can do immediately to prevent the plant from becoming ill?

Okay, as far as when the leaves break off, you can just leave them out on the counter until you want to use them later for external wounds like cuts, lotions, etc. Do not refrigerate them, just room temperature. If a leaf breaks, just trim it off close to the base. The curling may be a cause of not being watered enough or too much fertilization. No, I don't own one, will grow one soon. I just do a lot of research, I like to. :D Can hardly wait to grow mine but I might have to wait for more sunshine say March. I read somewhere that the aloe vera blooms are favorite foods for hummingbirds! Try it.http://www.youth.net/kitchen/hypermail/0067.html

My aloe vera is quite a small plant, as it only has two leaves and a new growth. It used to have another leaf but it snapped off. I'm not sure if this will hurt the plant in some way as it is only a baby.

I have an aloe that was growing well and looking healthy. All of a sudden two leaves (which looked healthy) drooped right down with yellow gel seeping out. The leaves weren't from the bottom either. Any ideas why this might have happened and whether it will continue?Thank you,Annabelle

I got a small Aloe Vera from a fair after looking for one EVERYWHERE and getting blank looks when i asked for it(Grrr).So when i took it home i put it outside with my sisters tomato plants and left it in the pot on a table. this was a few months ago and now im moving house and have brought it back inside, when i did so though i noticed that most of the big bottom leaves are covered in medium sized brown spots(round about the size on this"O"), one of the middle leaves had gone brown and looked to be full of gooey stuff(so i took the whole thing off),and one leaf at the bottom of the plant has shriveled and dried up after i cut half of it off because that half had become dry and died,also it is in a smallish pot and i didn't know it could have babies so i have been taking them out because i thought they were taking the main plant's nutrients but i read some of the other posts and realize now i should have planted them :S but when i tried to take one out the roots fell off of the leaves in my hand(about three of them). How big do the babies have to be before they cane be taken out? oh,and how do you make the aloe juice? Thanks Xxxxx Leah-14

@ Sarah: Aloe stems turning brown can mean A LOT of things, including having been under stress. The micro climate change they endured when you moved them outside could have done this. try "hardening" them to the sun by increasing the amount of light gradually. A few days outside BUT in shade at first, then two days in a few hours of sun, etc.

@ Anonymous: For a plant that can take all day, South sun stick with tropicals like small palms. Ponytail, Bottle, Sago,Areca (babies) and Pygmy Date(Phoenix Roebellini), are smaller sized plants that grow VERY slow even here in FL full sun so chances are they won't ever outgrow your house. Just acclimate them to the sunny spot slowly like I told Sarah to do. Otherwise the change from the light they were getting in the store or nursery could hurt them some and it will be a little while before they get pretty again. I don't know where you live so you may have to look online for some baby palms.Also, I've noticed stores will sometimes place these palms in the houseplant section with labels that call for low or medium indirect light. Trust me, these can take the sun. I have them all outside in south Florida and they're among the few things that I DON'T have to worry about drying out in the sun. Just acclimate them if they were in a shady or indoor light location. Hope that helps,Angel

Hi. I've a very healthy aloe vera plant sitting on my windows. however I've noticed that the tip on one of the leaves is becoming slightly brown and is thinning. its been watered but I don't think OVER watering is the problem. It's winter so theres not much sun light around. maybe its lacking sunlight and needs a plant light? please advise! :(

I have had my aloe plant for about 10 years and got it when it was a couple of inches tall with 3 leaves. it is now about 3 feet but leans to the side but im not too bothered about this as it adds to its quirkyness. It has now had 3 pups and whenever I take a new pup out i judt dig down and take as much of their root as I can before pulling the pup off the mother plant then repot the pup. whenever i plant a pup or repot my aloe I do not water for a week as the roots spread out in search of moisture and help them establish. Whenever the leaves at the bottom turn brown I leave them until they go 'crispy' then pull them off with scissors or a sharp knife. I dont water mine much I try to remember to do it once a month but its been known to go 2-3 months without and has been fine, I tend to water less in winter. I don't know if this has helped anybody but I hope so.

I have a large and happy aloe that has started to grow babies. About a month ago I very carefully removed 2 of them and repotted them. They get the same amount of light and wate as their mother, but in the past couple of weeks they have started to get squishy. I know this to be a sign of over watering but they are not over watered. Are they too dry? Should I water them, or just leave them? Any thoughts?

I'm hoping someone can give me a suggestion. Had a Medicinal Aloe when living in Washington state, it was beautiful and healthy and lived in the house. Now living in southern Nevada. Plant did ok here for about a year then I repotted to larger pot, it got some kind of flies, got rid of them but since then plant has started to die. It has become very limp I've had to remove most of the leaves because they have turned brown. Just decided to repot again, all rots are gone. Can it be saved?

I have an aloe that was started in water, transferred to soil a year or so ago. It is pitiful, pale, hardly growing. It is in a somewhat sheltered south facing window, so should have good light. I'm about ready to chunk it. Help!

Hi All,My cat destroyed my smallish, healthy aloe plant when we were away for the weekend. Each of the leaves are chewed and it was out of it's pot completely for a couple of days. All that is left is a small white nub of the root. There is no root system left. How can I fix her? I searched the web, but not much advice for a chewed up plant! If anyone can help you can email me-scottishjade@yahoo.comThank you so much!Crystal

I bought a Aloe Plant at the store the other day it was a pretty good size one it was put into a small plastic pot about 2" the that was Placed into a 4" clay pot. the next day I took the plastic pot out ofthe clay pot and I said to myself why such a large plant in a small pot. I'm looking at it then I reached for my glass of water I accendently hit the plant it tip over the whole plant came out some one cut the roots off can I save this plant I put it in a plastic bag with a little water it is still green please help I called the store still waiting for them to call me back please help me

HELP!!!I bought and Aloe Vera plant and it was small but healthy, as it grew bigger I transplanted into a bigger pot, Then it grew bigger, so I went and bought a bigger pot, and now the plant is going crazy it has long tentacles about 15" long growing in all directions, there is no little ones just a big on what can I do to maintain it, can I cut some of the tentacles off and plant them?

I have Aloe Vera plants which are huge. I am in the process of re- potting them for the third time. I have 4 large plants and 10 babies. I am going to have adopt-a-plant for my aloe vera plants. My question is are aloe vera plants strictly house plants or can they be kept outdoors?

My Aloe has bloomed this year. 1st time. Beautiful. I have noticed the arms of the plant have a layer of oil on them to the point is drips off tips. Is this normal? Otherwise the plant is doing Great. It did get burned on some arms from too much intense sun. I have to keep it inside now. 3ft across and Bloom is 4ft high.

I was given an aloe plant a few weeks before I had a baby. I knew you were only supposed to water it every 2 weeks. But I completely forgot to. I think I might have watered it 2 times in 5 months. All the leaves turned brown so I broke them off.is their anything I can do to bring it back to life?

We have a tiny aloe plant with about 5 leaves. It is in a West facing window. I water it every other week but it never grows. It's not brown, it's healthy but it remains the same size. It's been that way for years. How can I get this plant to grow?

I have an aloe plant that I've had for many years. I water it every other week but it never grows. It has 5 green leaves but the plant is tiny. It's placed in a west window. How can I get this plant to grow?

My husband and I just planted some Aloe Vera seeds in one of those terrariums that comes with its own soil and seeds, but no instructions. About 10 of them sprouted a few days ago, but it accidentally got knocked around. Wondering if they are going to all die and if we should start over with new seeds? Or is there something that can be done. They are brand new very very small. And if we should start over do you think Sept is too late in the year to try and grow seedlings? Any help would be appreciated.

Hello. I just wanted to let everyone know of another great way to use an aloe plant. My husband does tree work and logging and is extremely allergic to poison ivy, oak, etc. he was getting it all the time. It seemed like we couldn't keep it under control. I was speaking to my grandmother about this and she said to use an aloe Vera plant. She gave me a piece of her 17 year old aloe plant. I put it in a pot and grew it. To my surprise it was a miracle worker. Took out the itch and cleared up the poison faster then anything else we have ever tried!!! Please if you or someone you know gets poison like he does recommend this!!! It makes life so much easier!!!

I got an Aloe Vera plant from Home Depot about a year ago. I planted it in cactus soil, and only water it every two to four weeks, (I tend to forget!). It has literally grown only three new stalks and the roots are very shallow. I have tried bracing it up with soil, but it always falls down eventually. Lately I have noticed some very large growth in one of the newer stalks/leaves? and It grew to be just under 3/4 of a foot tall. Recently the stalk fell over and cracked in the bottom. I soaked up the sap (juice?) and tried to stand it upright. The skin then separated away from the rest of the stalk and I abandoned my efforts. What should I do? Can you contact me with the answer because I probably won't be able to find this again. From, reinarangers@gmail.com

A friend gave me an aloe plant 4 years ago...now its turning all brown and dried except the middle which is still green, it's 2 babies in the same condition. Mum says it needs more water is that true? i really don't want it to die >.<

I have an aloe vera and for a long time it was very healthy. It still is, but has started bending dramatically towards the sun. It is in a south facing window, and I water it every few weeks. Is there something wrong with it?

I just bought an aloe plant, and transferred it to a pot. The plant doesn't look good - the tips of the leaves were softened and translucent. I knew the soil was wet. Will the plant come back after, say, three weeks? Any advice?

I got a aloe vera plant from a woman in a bar. It was crowed in a pot. I watered it then realized it doesn't like frequent watering. When I looked at the soil it was wet in a nondraining pot. I decide to transplant to many pots the wet plants. Now in drier soil but with shallow roots in many pots will they have a chance? It's almost winter in Ohio and they are indoors what can I do for the best chance of survival?

I have an aloe plant in a 4in clay pot on a Southern windowsill. It did fine for 18 months but now the outer leaves are sturdy and have a yellow water-logged look. The inner leaves are fine and new leaves are appearing. There is very little rock hard soil in the pot and I water with very weak fertilized water every 2 or 3 weeks. I use this same fertilized water on other cacti, succulants and orchids and they do fine. Does it need less water, less fertilizer and/or repotting?

Enjoy the flowers! :-D I recently discovered these do flower. Though only once every two years... I'm hoping for my plant's second blooming this spring... I'm thinking when I put it outside last spring the cooler (not cold! lol) to warming days plus the increasing day-lengths heading into summer must've triggered it...

i bought an spider aloe few weeks ago...i also water it very little and sometime i spray water on top of it. it is behind the window so it gets good amount of sun and light but some of its leaves has started getting yellow and gone bad...would any one please help me.... could it because there is no drainage of the pot ? but i always watered little so there wouldn't be any extra water in the pot. please help ????

I have had my aloe for over 20 yrs, that is the main plants but many babies have grown from it since. I just keep transplanting and splitting them up into bigger containers. I finally have them in two big 20 gal pots sitting outside in the direct sun.These are clay/terra cotta pots and were transplanted into cactus soil from Lowe's. They are growing like weeds! Both have bloomed for the first time ever in all of these years. They sit in direct sunlight in 110 degree weather in Las Vegas. We did have a cold snap this winter down into the 20's and they have changed to a gray/green. But since it has started warming up, they are turning green and new green babies are sprouting. Some leaves have dried up brown tips and my question was whether to snip them off or leave them alone. I hope my info has helped some of you with questions, I think mine survive in direct sun and heat because they have never had anything else. Changing their environment maybe the reason some of you have problems. I don't know, just a possible suggestion. Good luck to you all with your Aloe babies!

Hey, I just got an Aloe Vera plant from my in-laws and it's started to turn a very light green at the very base of the leaves that are closest to the middle of the plant. Right at the bottom, where all the leaves come from, the plant is literally white.The leaves, when I tug at them slightly, kinda seem like they aren't very secure, as if the plant is falling apart. From the middle of the leaves to the tip they're all a healthy green color though, so I'm really confused. Can someone give me a tip? I haven't watered for one and a half week, I think, and the soil is moist but not wet.

Help, Help, love flowers and plants,they don't love me. I have had a lost aloe vera plants in the p[oast for not knowing how to care for them. I have a plant now that had been outside, I live in Georgia. it has been raining for nearly 30 days here as well as getting cold, I think my plant got too much water anyway I brought my plant inside I notice the stalks are turning dark at the end and limping downward and actually dying, I put them in light on a stand house temp around 68-71 how do I save my plant.